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Apple Inc (AAPL: NSD) has long been a leader in smartphone technology, but the question remains: what’s next? Could an “AI-iPhone” be on the horizon? According to analyst Toni Sacconaghi of Bernstein, it might only be a matter of time.
Stock Target Advisor’s Analysis on Apple:
Apple Inc. has been rated as a Buy stock by Stock Target Advisor with a target price projected at $206.27, which indicates a 13.14% price increase over the next 12 months. The stock has been performing relatively well with just a minor setback of -1.83% in the week’s performance and -9.24% in the past month, but with a robust gain of +22.44% over the last year. 21 analysts are closely following Apple Inc, with an average Buy rating and a target price range from $150 to $250.
Additionally, Apple’s average analyst target price stands at $203.47, coupled with Stock Target Advisors’ slightly bullish rating considering 10 positive signals versus 5 negative ones. Is this trend an invitation for investors to join the bandwagon?
Apple competes in the consumer electronics sector, which currently echoes a slightly bearish sentiment, contrasting with the Buy rating for Apple. The sector has been in rough waters lately, with average returns of -4.7% over the past month and -6.15% over the past week.
What this Means for Investors in AI phones:
The potential for an iPhone has investors buzzing. If Apple successfully integrates AI into its flagship device, it could lead to:
- Increased sales and market share: A groundbreaking AI feature could attract new customers and solidify Apple’s position in the premium smartphone market.
- Boost in stock price: Investor anticipation and positive media coverage could drive the stock price upwards.
- Challenges and risks: Integrating complex AI technology comes with challenges like data privacy concerns and potential technical hurdles.
The AI-iPhone is still just a rumor, but analyst views like Sacconaghi’s show that Apple could once again change the way phones work. AI will almost certainly be built into smartphones soon, whether it’s this year or next.


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KFC has opened a new kind of outlet in China, dedicated to providing its customers with healthy and fresh food, rather than the typical “eight-legged chicken” fare.
The fast food branch launched its first K Pro restaurant in Hangzhou on July 1st. According to Yicai Global, diners will have menu choices like paninis and salads topped with grilled chicken breast, South American white shrimp and smoked salmon. To drink, the restaurant offers fresh juice and beer.
Meanwhile, the interior design of the shop has been changed to reflect the food on offer, creating more of a relaxed cafe vibe, while staff are dressed in green rather than KFC’s customary red-and-white.
For the past few years, KFC has been using China as a testing ground to explore new ideas, such as robots that will scan your face and tell you want to eat.
[Images via Yicai Global]
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With flu season at its peak in the United States, some hotels, especially in New York City, are trying to help guests ward off the illness or at least make it easier to manage. The Kitano in Midtown Manhattan has a new immune-system-boosting menu with ingredients like ginger and plum paste in dishes like steamed egg custard with crab meat. The Hotel Chandler in the Murray Hill neighborhood has a “Flu Away” package through the end of March — a room with a pamphlet that has tips on staying healthy and a Vicks GermFree humidifier. Prices start at $250 a night.
At the Towers of the Waldorf-Astoria, guests are appointed a concierge who can go pharmacy shopping and deliver flu-fighting teas to the room. At the Chatwal, guests can get beet-green apple celery flu-fighting juice through room service and also request flu shots in the rooms from a nearby pharmacist or doctor. House calls start at $300.
The Sanctuary in Kiawah Island, S.C., offers a eucalyptus-scented steam room and heated wraps to help with achy muscles in its spa, and also chicken soup that can be sent to the room.
The Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans has a tea with raw honey, cayenne, turmeric, fresh ginger and cinnamon. Hotels offer these items to gain an edge during extreme outdoor temperatures, said Scott Berman, a principal and industry leader in hospitality and leisure at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “The country is having a harsh winter, and when that happens, room occupancy goes down so properties will do anything they can to bring in guests,” he said.


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This article is more than 1 year old
Chip rumor-gasm: Intel to buy Altera! Samsung to buy AMD! ... or not
One way to boost your share price by 28 per cent
Rumors flew fast and furious on Friday about possible acquisitions in the chip industry, with both Intel and Samsung said to be eyeing purchases that could strengthen their positions against rivals.
First up, Intel is thought to be planning to gobble specialty chipmaker Altera, in what could become the largest acquisition in Chipzilla's history.
And if that isn't wild enough for you, gossip from Asia says Samsung may be thinking of snapping up AMD, possibly with a mind to go head-to-head with Intel itself.
Let's start with the more plausible of the two. Sources haven't said when Intel might buy Altera or how much it's prepared to spend, but no less than the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg think it could happen, so a deal may be closer than we think. It would also make some sense, because Intel and Altera have had a close relationship for some time.
Altera mainly makes field-programmable gate array (FPGA) chips – integrated circuits that can be reconfigured post-manufacturing to perform a variety of tasks – and it has been fabbing its chips in Intel's foundries since 2013.
More significantly, Intel has lately begun piggybacking FPGAs onto its Xeon server processors for use as custom coprocessors. Customers might program the add-on chip to act as an accelerator for encryption, search, or compression and decompression, to name a few examples.
Chipzilla hasn't said who makes the FPGAs it's been gluing to its Xeons, but Altera would be a safe bet (the other main contenders being Xilinx and Achronix, the latter of which also uses Intel's fabs).
Altera had a market capitalization of about $10.5bn before the rumors surfaced on Friday, to give some idea of what Intel might have to pay for it. But it had better move fast; investors were tickled pink at the idea of a merger and sent Altera's stock soaring up 28 per cent following the WSJ's report. Intel's share price, similarly, climbed more than 6 per cent.
On the even-more speculative side, a report emerged in South Korean media on Friday that Samsung may be rubbing its hands at the prospect of gobbling AMD.
How likely is it? The most obvious argument in favor of such a deal is that AMD is in pretty bad shape. It has posted net losses for its last three fiscal years, and revenue for its most recent quarter was down 22 per cent from the previous year's quarter.
There are also some synergies between the two firms. Samsung's foundries could certainly be useful for baking AMD's silicon. AMD has also lately been branching out from x86 processors to work on ARM-based chips for servers, and Samsung has more than a little experience in developing ARM chips.
But the truth is that there may not be enough at AMD to entice Samsung. The Korean firm hasn't made many rumblings about x86 or server chips so far. And Samsung seems content to license GPUs from ARM and Imagination Technologies for its Exynos SoCs, so AMD's graphics line likely isn't of much interest.
It also seems doubtful that AMD CEO Lisa Su would be ready to unload the company so soon after taking the corner office. And there was another rumor bouncing around a few weeks ago that Chinese chipmaker BLX was looking to buy AMD, which has seemingly vanished into thin air.
Investors seemed no more convinced of a Samsung buyout than we here at Vulture Annex were, and AMD's share price crept up a mere 2.6 per cent on the gossip. ®


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The economy of Latin America will return to growth in 2021 after a deep recession driven by the coronavirus pandemic this year, the U.N. economic commission for the region said on Wednesday.
The economy of the region will grow 3.7% in 2021, after a 7.7% contraction this year, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) said. A previous report in July projected a deeper 2020 contraction of 9.1%. (Reporting by Natalia Ramos; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel, Editing by Franklin Paul)
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If you’ve had your stuff stolen in Vancouver in recent months, there’s a good chance it’s being auctioned in Newton this coming weekend.
The annual Vancouver Police Recovered Goods Auction will take place Saturday (April 28) at Able Auctions’ Surrey location, 13557 77th Ave., near King George Boulevard. Doors open to the public at 8 a.m.
Close to 300 bikes, a large selection of jewelry and other items will be up for bid during the annual event.
“It’s an unreserved auction, and everything sells to the highest bidder – it doesn’t matter what price,” auctioneer Rob Kavanagh said Wednesday. “Pretty much anything you can name, it’s here.”
The popular auction – among the year’s largest for Able – includes goods recovered by the VPD that have gone unclaimed over the past six months. Not all of the items were stolen, though; some were lost and later turned in to police by honest citizens who found them, said Const. Anne-Marie Clark.
Kavanagh, a 30-year auction pro, said most of the stuff will be auctioned at a fraction of their original value.
“A $500 bike can go for something like $100,” he said, “and people love a good deal like that.
“Maybe someone will find a bike that’s been stolen from them, and that’s happened in the past here,” Kavanagh continued. “They come to the auction and go, ‘That’s my bike, it was stolen last year.’”
Previews for the in-person auction are Thursday and Friday from noon to 6 p.m., and the bidding starts Saturday at 9 a.m. Photos of the goods are posted to the auction house’s website (ableauctions.ca).
The auction begins with bikes, moves on to jewelry and then ends with general merchandise, including guitars, tools, kitchen appliances, clothing, foreign currency and more.
Some of the more unusual items include laundry detergent pods, adult diapers and bags of pennies and razors.
Expensive goods include a Victoria Beckham-brand blouse worth $15,000 and a ladies Rolex watch valued at around $13,000.
Kavanagh said a lot of familiar faces attend the auction every year, and newbies shouldn’t be intimidated.
“It’s a fun, exciting, and fast-paced,” he said. “I mean, at first they might think, ‘Oh, what’s that guy saying?’ but after a couple of minutes people get what’s going on and they get into it. We have a screen with the item on it, and they can see the price, and if someone has questions or doesn’t understand, we can help answer them.”
The auction is expected to attract close to 1,000 people.
“Not all at once though,” Kavanagh explained. “We get the people who are looking for a bike, and the crowd will change for the jewelry, and it will again for the general merchandise. People know what they’re coming for, pretty much.”
On auction day, his job is a busy one.
“People can hold up their hand or a paddle, either or, and they can bid however they like – raise their hand, wink at me, whatever,” Kavanagh, a Surrey resident, said with a laugh. “My head’s always going like this (scanning the crowd), and I have to see it. It’s all about watching for movement.”
Proceeds from the auction are funneled back to City of Vancouver general revenues.


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Americans boosted their spending by 0.4 percent in March, the best showing in three months. Meanwhile, a key gauge of inflation closely watched by the Federal Reserve rose at the fastest pace in more than a year.Read More »
U.S. consumers spent less at auto dealers, gas stations and department stores in February, causing overall retail sales to slip 0.1 percent despite signs elsewhere of a robust economy and the tax cuts signed into law by President Donald Trump starting to take effect.
Tagged with: U.S. Commerce DepartmentRead More »
Determined to protect vital American industries, President Donald Trump declared Thursday that he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, dramatically raising the possibility of a trade showdown with China and other key trading partners.Read More »


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For immediate release – Thursday, July 12, 2007.
Contact Bob Brammer – 515-281-6699.
Miller: 3,799 Iowa Consumers are Eligible for $2.27 Million in Ameriquest Restitution
Claim forms are going to eligible consumers,
who must submit claims by September 10, 2007.
Attorney General Tom Miller said today that 3,799 Iowa consumers are eligible for almost $2.3 million in restitution from Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its related companies as part of a $325 million national settlement last year of a predatory lending lawsuit against the company.
“This is the largest total consumer restitution in Iowa history,” Miller said. The total Iowa restitution amount is $2,277,585.
Miller said the settlement administrator began sending letters and claim forms to eligible Iowa consumers this week, on behalf of his office and the Iowa Division of Banking. Consumers must mail completed and signed forms to the settlement administrator by September 10, 2007, if they choose to participate in the settlement and receive restitution.
The forms mailed to each consumer will indicate the minimum payment the consumer can expect to receive. However, the exact amount could be larger, depending on how many eligible Iowa consumers decide to participate in the settlement.
Miller encouraged consumers to study the claim forms and information and reply as soon as possible.
Consumers who opt to receive the restitution payments relinquish their right to file lawsuits against Ameriquest related to the loans covered by the settlement. Therefore, consumers are encouraged to consult with a private attorney or, if they qualify, a legal services attorney before deciding whether to participate in the settlement. However, consumers who participate in the settlement do not give up any claim they may otherwise raise if their home goes into foreclosure.
Under the nationwide settlement, reached in January 2006, over 481,000 borrowers who were customers of Ameriquest Mortgage Company, Town and Country Credit Corporation, and Bedford Home Loans between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2005, are eligible to receive the restitution payments.
Miller said a pamphlet of “Frequently Asked Questions” was mailed with the claim form and provides additional information about the restitution process for eligible consumers.
Consumers also can obtain detailed information about the settlement and their eligibility for restitution at the Settlement Administrator’s web site: www.ameriquestmultistatesettlement.com. Consumers with questions should contact the Settlement Administrator at 800-420-5875. (Hearing-impaired persons may call 866-494-8274.)
“We are elated that the payment process is under way,” Miller said. “This case also resulted in complete reform of Ameriquest’s practices, and that probably is as important as the restitution. This case has begun to set standards of fair treatment throughout the sub-prime lending industry.”
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Additional background and details:
Miller said over $300 million is being distributed nationwide to 481,388 eligible Ameriquest customers. The consumer restitution is being handled by a Settlement Administrator on behalf of the states. Decisions about restitution amounts and eligibility were made on an objective and ‘blind’ or impartial basis, using numerous factors and analysis of data.
Miller led the group of state attorneys general and banking and finance regulators who reached the settlement with Ameriquest in January 2006. The states alleged that Ameriquest employees deceived consumers as part of high-pressure tactics to sell mortgage refinancings.
The alleged improper practices included inadequate disclosure of prepayment penalties, discount points and other loan terms; inflated appraisals; and encouraging borrowers to give inaccurate income or employment information to obtain loans.
In the agreement, Ameriquest agreed to be bound by a battery of new standards to prevent what the states alleged were unfair and deceptive practices. The reforms included: changing how appraisals are handled, providing full disclosure regarding interest rates, discount points, prepayment penalties, and other loan or refinancing terms, and not paying sales personnel incentives to include prepayment penalties or any other fees or charges in the mortgages.
Miller said Ameriquest has been complying with the agreement, and that the states and a Monitor are watching company practices carefully.
- END -


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BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 promises to provide one-stop enterprise mobility management.
Ailing BlackBerry maker Research in Motion has unveiled plans to shed another 5000 staff and has delayed until 2013 the new BB10 smartphone platform on which it is pinning its future. Meanwhile, one analyst says gross margins on its hardware are now in negative territory.
Another credit card to rip off customers. Good one Coles!
I would be much more excited if NBN Co was announcing that they were going to concentrate on providing a[…]
"whether their parents have the COVID-Safe tracking app installed on their phone."Why do they need to know this? It appears[…]
Out of interest, when/where does NBN specify the sort of things like only a single high-speed burst per day. Do[…]
The 1000/50 HFC service is a joke. You can only burst up to the top speed for up to a[…]


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Ebay is set to launch a new “Pay As You Grow” scheme for first time sellers offering to scrap fees until they make 100 sales in a single month.
Pay As You Grow will launch on Friday October 9, aimed at helping those facing unemployment during the pandemic set up their own online business.
Under the new scheme, which will run until the end of the year, start-up businesses will not have to pay “insertion fees” which Ebay charges sellers on every listing even if it doesn’t sell.
Both insertion fees and final value fees will be scrapped for sellers until they surpass 100 sales per month, at which time they will be charged at heavily discounted rates.
After the first 100 items per month fees will be reduced by 50 per cent, falling a further 25 per cent for the next 100.
“We have been saying for months that more support is needed to help independent retailers survive this crisis,” the British Independent Retailers Association’s chief executive Andrew Goodacre said.
“We welcome Ebay’s efforts to help small businesses and high street retailers to expand their business online at little cost, and we hope this will go some way in sustaining independent retailers and keeping people employed as the end of furlough approaches.”
Ebay UK’s general manager Murray Lambell added: “Britain is teeming with would-be entrepreneurs and businesspeople.
“We just need to give them a helping hand and the encouragement they need to get their business up and running. With all the economic challenges we’re seeing across the country, getting rid of the barriers to trading online will really help.
“We’ve specifically designed this offer for first-time sellers and start-ups – partly to help the growing numbers of unemployed to set up their own businesses and start making money.”


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Cintas has blended functionality and fashion with its new line of rentable uniform pants designed specifically by women, for women. The new Women’s Comfort Pant, which is now available nationwide, features two patterns for different female body types. Following retail trends, the new pant has a mid-rise waistline, is straight through the leg and has 11 percent mechanical stretch that moves comfortably with the wearer.
Cintas Corp., phone (800) 246-8271 or visit www.cintas.com
January 14, 2009


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BMW is giving us a sneak peak of its forthcoming 2011 X3 through a huge gallery of photos of the pre-production model. To keep the interest in the new X3 going, the Bavarian automaker retained some camouflage on the body and the dashboard. However, there are plenty of shots of the new X3 alongside the first generation of the model allowing us to visually compare the two vehicles.
Despite the camouflage, it is evident that the 2011 X3 adopts the less complicated and controversial styling language of the post-Bangle era BMWs such as the new 5-Series along with a more prominent double-kidney grille.
From the photos it also appears that the new X3 has grown in dimensions compared to the current model, thus allowing it to be better positioned between the X1 and X5 crossovers.
When it arrives in European showrooms after its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show this fall, the new X3 will be offered with a mix of four- and six-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines (depending on the market) including the firm's latest version of the 3.0-liter turbocharged petrol with 306-horserpower.
It remains to be seen which of these units will be available for U.S. consumption when the X3 hits retailers on sale on this side of the Atlantic either towards the end of 2010 or early next year .


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WASHINGTON — The Georgetown Business Improvement District kicks off its Healthy Days of Summer in Georgetown series, a free series of outdoor fitness classes, on Monday, the group announced this week.
It includes classes, healthy menus and promotional materials highlighting health and wellness options in Georgetown. The neighborhood’s location along the Potomac River and its city streets and outdoor trails make it an ideal place to get fit, organizers said.
About 40 studios and shops offer yoga, running, cycling, pilates, Crossfit and more.
Sunset Fitness in the Park is a summer-long series of free classes held twice weekly at various locations. Starting Monday and running through Sept. 2, the hour-long sessions begin at 6 p.m. Find the full schedule online at georgetowndc.com/healthydays.


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Apple & Samsung Lose Market Share – Samsung’s First Time In Four Years
Apple & Samsung have been at the top of smartphone market share for quite a while now, and nothing is changing. However over last year, both companies lost market share to Lenovo and other OEMs.
Apple dipped from 17.5% (Q1 2013) to 15.3% in this past quarter. While it’s not a significant change, it does mean that Apple is losing it’s share to other OEMs. Unlike popular belief however, they aren’t losing that market share to Samsung.
Samsung has grown tremendously over the past few years not only growing past all other Android OEMs, but Apple as well. They have not lost any market share in the past 4 years, this time they have. In Q1 of 2013, Samsung had 32.4% of the global smartphone market share but now they only have 31.2% according to the latest statistics.
In that same report, Huawei remained at 4.7% while Lenovo grew from 3.9% to 4.7%. Other OEMs includes that of LG, HTC and more who all experienced minor growth.
Samsung isn’t leaving that top spoty anytime soon, but it’s great to see that other OEMs are growing, even if it is minor.


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People are always asking me “What are some of the best new VR apps/experiences out there right now?” Then I’m like “Just go Google it yourself mom. You’ll have to use the computer because you can’t use Google on your flip phone.” As you can imagine, I’ve Googled that same thing many times so that […]
I’ve found myself having a lot more conversations about VR technology recently. Mainly because it’s the technology kick I’m most interested in of late, but really because this year  in particular is a big turning point. For those not up to speed on why this year is different here is a short recap of […]
It’s no secret that we design and play video games here at Dragon Army. We talk about them an awful lot as well. Though given our Instagram feed, you might have figured that one out too. Starting today, we’re officially letting you in on those conversations with the introduction of Core Loop.
We are excited to announce that Dragon Army is teaming up with the Revolutionary Minds Foundation to help make this holiday a little bit brighter for kids in need here in Atlanta. RMF is collecting toys that they will deliver to several local charities and orphanages. The goal is simple yet lofty: to gather over
Our first video game “Robots Love Ice Cream” has taken the digital world by storm. This award winning title was one of the most popular games of 2014, but Spinston and his crew of ice-cream eating robots aren’t stopping there. Now that they’ve invaded your mobile screen, they’ve set their sights on your
Last week we were fortunate enough to win an Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AIMA) award for our work marketing the Robots Love Ice Cream launch earlier this year and it’s cross-promotion with Arby’s re-launch of the Orange Cream Shake. The awards show was at the Buckhead Theater


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In September this year, Volvo Trucks began series production of the 44 ton heavy-duty electric truck as the first global truck manufacturer to achieve this. Some electric trucks will also be the world’s first because they are made with fossil-free steel.
“Our journey to zero emissions includes making our vehicles fossil-free in operation over time completely replacing the materials in our trucks with fossil-free and recycled alternatives,” Volvo Trucks Senior Vice President of Product Management, Jessica Sandström.
Fossil-free steel, says Jessica, is produced by the Swedish steelmaker SSAB and made using a completely new technology with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. The result is a much lower climate impact and an important step towards a zero emission value chain.
“Among our customers who will have fossil-free steel electric Volvo trucks are Amazon and DFDS through Simon Loos transportation company Unilever,” he said.
Amazon’s vice president of European Transport Services, Andreas Marschner, said the company is currently on its way to making all operations zero-emissions by 2040.
“We need partners like Volvo to make this transition happen,” he added.
While EVP of DFDS Logistics Division, Niklas Andersson said, DFDS is committed to a green transition and to provide transportation and logistics solutions that are more environmentally friendly.
“Each step in the logistics green transition brings us closer to a carbon-free society and we are therefore pleased to know that some of our new electric trucks soon to be delivered are also manufactured with fossil-free steel,” said Niklas.
To note, the first steel to be produced with hydrogen was used in the electric truck chassis and where all other major components were installed. As the availability of fossil-free steel increases, steel will also be introduced in other truck parts.
Currently, about 30% of new Volvo truck material comes from recycled materials. In addition, up to 90% of trucks can be recycled at the end of their life. Fossil-free steel will be an important complement to the traditional steel and recycled steel used in Volvo trucks.


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Mercedes-Benz has updated the ML-Class lineup for the 2015 model year alongside the release of two additional engine options for the luxurious off-roader.
First up, the 4.7-litre V8 engine from the Mercedes-Benz ML550 has been ditched in favour of a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 delivering 329 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque with the model now dubbed the 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML400 4Matic. The original V8 engine consumed 16 mpg on the combined U.S. cycle while the new V6 sips down 20 mpg combined. Alongside the new engine, the ML400 4Matic features a seven-speed automatic transmission complete with a stop-start feature.
As for the second new engine, it is a 2.1-litre twin-turbocharged inline-four delivering a total of 200 hp as well as 369 lb-ft of torque. This engine is fitted to the 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML250 BlueTec and just like the ML400, features a fuel-saving stop-start feature. This model replaces the ML350 BlueTec which had a V6 delivering 240 hp and 455 lb-ft of torque. Importantly however, the ML250 BlueTec weighs 300 pounds less than the ML350 to account for the reduced power.
In terms of fuel economy, the ML350 BlueTec hits about 23 mpg on the combined cycle but the new 2.1-litre twin-turbo of the ML250 should be able to hit 30 mph.
Pricing for the 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML400 has been confirmed at $63,825 but pricing details for the new models haven’t been revealed yet.


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Modest Spot Salon
106 W. Mariposa
After opening for business five years ago, Modest Spot Salon hairstylist and owner Stephanie Carrillo decided to add a bit more to her business.
Recently, Carrillo debuted her new arts and body products that she sells out of the back of her salon.
“They are all handcrafted goods along with natural beauty and body products,” she said. “It’s anything that can be a small gift.”
Carrillo said the space where she has made the craft shop was being used as storage and she wanted to utilize it.
Carrillo said she wants to bring in more artisan products from locals. She sells succulents from one such San Clemente-based designer.
She said she also wants to host workshops for artists and cater the lessons to all ages.


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Micromax A116 Canvas HD
Micromax has no intentions of slowing down when it comes to the phablet onslaught. It has announced the successor of Canvas 2 A110 – A116 Canvas HD, which raises the bar for mid-range Android phones. The A116 has a higher definition screen and a more powerful quad-core CPU, something that hasn’t been seen in low price range till now. Its primary competitor will be Samsung Galaxy Grand. The phone is expected to be available in February with the price tag of around Rs. 14990.
- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Dual-SIM
- 5” Inch Display with 720p IPS screen, 294ppi pixel density
- Quad-core processor – MediaTek MT6589
- Cortex-A7 CPU 1.2GHz, 1GB of RAM, Power Series 5XT GPU.
- 8MP Main camera and VGA FF camera
- 4GB of Built-in storage
- 3G GSM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
- Battery – 2100mAh.
Karbon S1 Titanium
Battling for recognition in the Indian market, Karbon has announced its S1 Titanium phone. Though there is no official declaration on the availability of the phone, it is expected that the device will be available by mid February.S1 Titanium is India’s first quad-core CPU smartphone powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. The phone can be pre-booked on the Karbon’s official website at Rs 10,990.
- 4.5 -inch HD (960×540) multi-touch capacitive touch display
- Android 4.1
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
- 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
- VGA front camera
- 4GB of internal storage expandable upto 32GB via microSD
- Dual-SIM functionality (GSM+GSM)
- 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth with A2DP, EDGE, GPRS and GPS
- 1,600MAh battery claiming upto 4 hours of talk time
Samsung Galaxy Grand
The leaders in smart phones ‘Samsung’ launched its latest smart phone – Galaxy Grand Duos in the Indian market recently. It is a phablet with a reasonable price tag keeping in mind the mid-ranged customers. The new phone has dual-sim capability with some high-end smart phone features, latest version of Android OS and some of the apps found only in Samsung’s high-end devices. The official price of the phone is Rs.21,500.
- 5 Inch TFT LCD Display
- 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor
- 1GB RAM
- Android 4.1.2
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 3G, Wi-Fi
- 8GB On-Board Storage
- Micro SD Slot
- 2MP Front Facing Camera
- 8MP Rear Camera with LED Flash
- 2100 MAh Battery
HTC has launched its new smart phone – Butterfly, in India last month. This device has broken all price barriers for Android smart phones in India and has been priced around Rs 45,900, though its official price is Rs 49,990. HTC’s new Butterfly is above Apple i-Phone 5’s base model and Nokia Lumia 920 in terms of pricing, and much ahead of Samsung Galaxy S III.
- Snapdragon S4 PRO 1.5 GHz Quad Core Processor
- 2GB RAM
- 5 Inch 1080p Display
- Android 4.1
- 16GB On-Board Storage
- 8MP Camera
- 2020 MAh Battery.
Read our HTC Butterfly review


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As social networking sites Bebo and Facebook steadily gain ground, the News Corp-owned MySpace tells the world that it is still going strong, capturing 75pc of the market share in 2007.
While three quarters of social network users are members of MySpace, the site is a granddad in comparison to its competitors being launched as far back as 1999, while Bebo was born a mere three years ago and Facebook in 2004.
In this context MySpace’s self-declaration of “the world’s most popular social network” does not seem as safe given that its 73.32pc share of visitors among the top ten social networking sites in the US has dropped from 78.89pc year-on-year.
Meanwhile Facebook’s percentage of overall visitors has leapt from 10.59pc to 16.03pc: a year-on-year change of 51pc, with Bebo’s share increasing by 10pc.
However, MySpace does seem to have loyal followers with its members visiting the social site more often and staying for longer than its competitors’ members.
The Rupert Murdoch-owned site reported that in December 2007 the average user clocked up just over two hours and fifteen minutes online.
While MySpace is scrabbling to look brave in the face of competition, Facebook is busy swatting away legal action from Scrabble‘s manufacturers Mattel and Hasbro due to its popular application Scrabulous.
The companies claim the popular application with a 2.4 million-strong following infringes on its own board game. This spells trouble for Scrabulous creators Rajat and Jayant Agarwalla who told the Guardian that they had contacted Hasbro last year to inform them of their creation.
By Marie Boran


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Possible sinkhole discovered at Leesburg Walgreens
LEESBURG — A Walgreens pharmacy reopened Wednesday afternoon after officials determined a possible sinkhole in the parking lot posed no immediate danger, according to a city spokesman.
The pharmacy's parking lot at the corner of State Road 44 and U.S. Highway 27 has a small depression the size of a manhole cover that was blocked off by yellow caution tape and shopping carts.
Walgreens corporate spokesman Phil Caruso said a team called to the store found nothing significant with the depression and the store reopened after about an hour.
Derek Hudson, city spokesman, said Leesburg Public Works was called to the scene and said the depression didn’t appear to be a safety hazard.
City workers will keep their eyes on it and the Leesburg Public Works director is expected to visit the parking lot on Thursday.
“We do want to make sure our businesses are safe,” Hudson said.


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Cyber crime will become the norm in 2013, Symantec warns
CYBER CRIME will become "the norm" in 2013 - with conflicts between nations, organisations and individuals playing a key role in the cyber world - security firm Symantec has declared.
Writing in a post in the firm's blog, Symantec director of Security Response Kevin Haley warned that nations or organised groups of individuals will continue to use cyber tactics in attempts to damage or destroy the secure information or funds of their targets.
"In 2013, we will see the cyber equivalent of 'saber rattling', where nation states, organisations, and even groups of individuals use cyber attacks to show their strength and 'send a message'," he said.
Haley added that the firm expects to see even more attacks on individuals and non-government organisations, such as supporters of political issues, by hacktivist groups.
The firm's prediction comes at the top of what it thinks will be the top five threats in the cyber security landscape next year.
Second on the list is 'ransomware'. Symantec said that using online payment methods, cyber criminals can now use "force instead of flimflam" to steal from their targets, with extortion methods getting harsher and more destructive.
"In 2013, attackers will use more professional ransom screens, up the emotional stakes to motivate their victims, and use methods that make it harder to recover once compromised," Haley said.
The firm listed 'madware' - that is, mobile adware that can potentially expose location details, contact information, and device identifiers to cybercriminals - as third on its list of top threat predictions for 2013. This is because the firm has seen the number of apps, including the most aggressive forms of madware, increase by 210 percent in just the past nine months.
The fourth prediction listed by the firm is threats against social networks as they start to find new ways to monetise their platforms.
"Symantec anticipates an increase in malware attacks that steal payment credentials in social networks and trick users into providing payment details, and other personal and potentially valuable information, to fake social networks," Haley said.
"This may include fake gift notifications and email messages requesting home addresses and other personal information."
According to the firm, cyber criminals will sell and trade this information with one another, combing with information they already have, and helping them create a profile of users so they can use to access other accounts.
Last on Symantec's top five security threats of 2013 is the gradual move onto mobile and the cloud. The firm said as users increasingly use these services, so will attackers. Ewallet services are a particular example, and will become an area that hackers will attempt to exploit.
"Mobile devices will become more valuable as mobile carriers and retail stores transition to mobile payments and continue defining new product frontiers," Haley said. "We will see criminals use malware to hijack payment information from people in retail environments."
Symantec's top five predictions for 2013 were derived by hundreds of the firm's security experts, and gathering their thoughts and ideas, and boiling it all down to a handful of predictions, Symantec said it "felt


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From building the first LEEDS-certified factory in Pakistan to adopting circular economy practices, Artistic Milliners is crystal clear with its intention to help clean up the denim supply chain.
Now, the fully vertical Pakistan-based mill partnered with chemical manufacturer DyStar to develop Crystal Clear, a new indigo dyeing process that uses an organic fixing agent that requires no salt and 70 percent less chemicals. The hydro-free dye process leaves clean and recyclable water effluent without any salt by-products.
In conventional systems, the mill reports that indigo dyestuff is stored after the dyeing process and only about 20 percent can be reused due to salt formation. Crystal Clear, which calls for pre-reduced liquid indigo that requires no additional water or salt, allows indigo recovery up to 100 percent. Additionally, there’s no need for heating in the indigo fixation process, which means less energy consumption.
Artistic Milliners managing director Omer Ahmed believes Crystal Clear is “the most radical change to the indigo dyeing process since its industrialization.” He said DyStar approached mills about three years back to help further the chemistry, but Artistic Milliners was the only one to proceed with development.
The mill presented a small capsule collection of products dyed with Crystal Clear at Kingpins New York last week. The process creates brilliant indigo shades with more sheen, and is applicable to both indigo and sulphur dyeing.
The innovation does come at a price, however. Ahmed notes that there’s a 20 percent upcharge for the organic agent, though he says the price will decrease as more companies adopt the technology.
Crystal Clear will continue to be a work in progress for Artistic Milliners, but the firm believes the process has the potential to become the industry standard, and brands like G-Star RAW are already expressing interest.
“Even though this method is in its infancy we are hopeful that in due time it will be adopted by the denim industry at large as there is an unprecedented environmental [and] water saving potential in using this method,” Ahmed said.


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Recently, Xiaomi announced that they've completed three successful years in the Indian market, and the brand even celebrated the same with some discount offers. And now, it's time for OnePlus because the brand has completed 1000 days in the Indian market. On this occasion, OnePlus has announced a three-day sale.
The sale will commence exclusively on OnePlus' online store on September 5, 2017, and ends on September 7, 2017. During this period, the OnePlus 3T, which is the company' second flagship phone for 2016 will be at a discount of Rs. 4,000 for a limited time. So, users can grab the OnePlus 3T 64GB variant at just Rs. 25,999 during the sale period.
Furthermore, to sweeten the deal, OnePlus is offering a flat Rs. 2,000 off on exchanging on your smartphone and Rs. 2,000 cash back for Axis bank debit and credit card users. That said, you can grab a OnePlus 3T 64GB variant at just Rs. 21,999 if you're eligible for all the terms and conditions mentioned above. Also, the cash back and exchange offer is applicable for OnePlus 5 as well, meaning you can get a Rs. 4,000 discount on the 2017 flagship phone.
Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, India at OnePlus, said in a statement, "We are pleased to offer exclusive benefits to celebrate the 1,000 days of OnePlus in India. The fast growth of the brand in India is attributed to the strong support from the OnePlus community who truly resonate with the spirit of 'Never Settle' and our exclusive sales partner Amazon.in. Since our inception, we have been on a journey to develop premium flagship phones - that combines fast, high-end hardware with an equally high-end design. Our journey has just begun, the best is yet to come."
Moreover, if a customer is looking to grab the device under EMI instalment, then it's the best time to get it because OnePlus is offering up to 12 months of zero cost EMI offer on both OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 3T. Besides this, 100 lucky customers can win domestic flight vouchers from Cleartrup as well. However, OnePlus did not mention the value of the Cleartrip voucher though.
If you ask us, we would suggest you get the OnePlus 3T because it's a great smartphone at that price of Rs. 25,999. If you can shell out a little more, then go for the OnePlus 5 itself.


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ollowing rains and stormy winds, hailstorm hits different parts of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district inflicting large-scale damage to fruit industry by hammering down blossoming apple orchards, vegetable fields and other fruits.
The fruit industry suffered another jolt as the speedy hailstorm lashed horticulture rich areas of Sangrama and Delina and badly damaged fruit orchards in leaving the farmer community high and dry.
“Hammering relentlessly for about 10 minutes in many areas, the hailstorm left about a layer of white icy stones on the ground. Blossoming fruit orchards and vegetables suffered extensive damage due to the hailstorm,” said an orchardist Altaf Ahmad of Sangrama.
Amid Covid-19 pendimic crises, famers and apple growers have suffered extensive damaged orchards and other crops adding to woes of already distressed farmers and growers.


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MUMBAI: 2016 was indeed a critical year for the over-the-top (OTT) services in India. In an emerging market like India, the potential of more content consumption is certainly a reality. Increasing availability of smart phones, internet penetration, affordable data rates, 4G rollout, availability of good quality content and new entrants have led the OTT industry to bloom in 2016 and the trend is likely to continue. But the segment players are also looking up to the government for a clearer economic roadmap after the shockwaves of demonestisation.
"The entertainment industry has always been on the forefront of economic contribution. Though it is expected that GST rollout (as and when it happens later this year) would bring about more uniformity in the system of paying multiple taxes, it is also expected that finance minister Arun Jaitley will announce reforms, which will help control piracy issues in the country and help boost video on demand market in India,” said Muvizz.com COO and co-founder Abhayanand Singh.
Zee’s business head of digital for India Archana Anand opined that 2016 will go down as the year in which the wheels were set in motion for the growth of OTT. According to her, OTT platforms likely to become the go-to source of entertainment in the coming years, particularly for the millennials, who do not have easy access to a TV set and for whom it’s really about the content and not the size of the screen. But for that economic incentives are also needed from the government.
Echoing similar views, Web Talkies chairman and managing director Virendra Shahaney asserted the government needs to beef up digital infrastructure like Internet and faster implementation of free wi-fi projects. “A relaxed taxation policy for start-ups would be welcome and tax breaks for start-ups should increase to five years with a significant improvement in ease of doing business," he added.
Pointing out that India downloaded six billion apps in 2016 making service usage the highest globally, Dekkho co-founder Tanay Desai said ,"The BHIM app has been downloaded 10 million times already indicating a healthy potential payment pipeline. GST will aid online payments for users as well as brands by reducing tax barriers across states in India and the industry looks forward to additional (tax) relaxation measures in the upcoming Budget."


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The Village of Lindenhurst is hosting a garden show on Sunday.
Organized by Mayor Thomas A. Brennan’s Beautification Society, the free event will take place from noon until 5 p.m. at the Village Square and Gazebo. The show will include presentations with tips on flower arranging, gardening and soil testing. There will also be a “Grandma’s Attic Treasures” yard sale, plants from Jaclyn’s Garden nursery in Copiague as well as giveaways by presenters.
For children, there will be coloring books and crayons, face painting and the opportunity to do their own plantings. Free popcorn and cotton candy will be available, and there will be several vendors selling food and other items.


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News of Southeast Texas fashion has spread far outside the area — all the way to the television screen.
Nederland boutique TwistedGypsy will host JoJo Disney from the show “90 Day Fiancé” Saturday for a meet-and-greet.
But it was an accidental meeting.
“It’s a small world,” store owner Evy Knight said. “She reached out and wanted to know if we could dress her. Of course, we said, ‘yes.’ But she was telling me about how she adored this store in Houston, she loves the style and how she would love to get stuff like that but they closed down. And it was actually my store.”
Prior to opening her Boston Avenue location, Knight operated a store in Houston for eight years until her husband had a major setback with his health.
“We lost everything,” she recalled. “You find out who really are your friends and who’s not. If it weren’t for family, we wouldn’t have been able to start over. He said if we overcame this with God’s help, we would be able to open another boutique, but he didn’t want to be in the Houston area. He wanted to move into a smaller location where life is slower.”
Even while living in Houston, the couple had come to Mid County several times to dress people for events such as RiverFest. So when it was time to relocate, the place was obvious.
The same community support is why JoJo Disney is opening her shopping trip into a meet-and-greet.
“She lives in The Woodlands, so she loves this area and keeping it in the community,” Knight said. “I talked to her for an hour and a half on the phone and it seemed like I knew her for years. She’s a very nice woman, and she just wants to give back.”
It’s a sentiment shared between the television personality and store owner, as the Knights have spent the last two years fundraising for the area and have plans to continue doing so.
Two years ago, they raised almost $1,000 for a local family that had been impacted by COVID. Last year, a fashion show at the store was a fundraiser for cancer awareness. And this year’s plans are currently in the works.
Saturday’s event is free to the public. There will be door prizes, appetizers, drinks and more.
“We’ve had so much bad that’s happened — with COVID and the stuff that’s happening now with Russia,” Knight said. “I think we just need a break, and it’s nice to know that there are people out there that are willing to do stuff for small businesses just to show support. We’re just going to celebrate life and having a good time.”
TwistedGypsy is located at 1219 Boston Avenue in Nederland.
Written By: Monique Batson for The Port Arthur News
Categories: Art, Entertainment, Local News
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September 24, 2019
By Brendan Murray
China’s latest gesture of goodwill in its trade war with the U.S. isn’t having much of an immediate effect where it matters most for President Donald Trump: on struggling American farms.
Beijing gave new waivers to several domestic companies to buy U.S. soybeans free of the tariffs China imposed in retaliation for the Trump administration’s higher levies.
The move gave soybean futures in Chicago a little lift initially Tuesday, but prices stayed below their highs of last week.
The muted uptick may be explained partly by the quantity of China’s potential purchases — reportedly between 2 million to 3 million tons, and some firms already bought about 1.2 million tons.
That’s not a huge amount and would look like more normal purchases in the absence of Trump’s tariffs. In the 12 months through August 2017, the last full marketing year before the trade war started, the U.S. exported a total of 36 million tons of soybeans to China.
Meanwhile, Trump gave his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin a bizarre grilling over China’s targeting of U.S. agriculture, adding to the confusion about the short-term goals in the trade negotiations with a Chinese government that doesn’t seem overly worried about the economic fallout so far.
As the U.S. administration tries to figure out how to proceed, this is an opportune moment for China to offer Trump olive branches to keep talks on track.
Next week the Chinese political calendar is packed with events and holidays to celebrate 70 years of Communist Party rule. So there aren’t likely to be any major developments originating from Beijing until the following week, when Vice Premier Liu He is planning to go to Washington for talks with his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Today’s Must Reads
Metal fatigue | Europe’s steel industry painted a bleak picture of domestic market conditions, blaming U.S.-instigated tariff wars, Brexit and global overcapacity.
Car questions | Japan and the U.S. have finished talks on a trade deal with no indication yet on how the two sides responded to a U.S. threat of tariffs on autos and parts.
Facing competition | The U.S. corn export program is on life support and shippers can’t blame the trade war with China, which has never been a big buyer of the yellow grain.
Hong Kong pain | Hong Kong’s economic situation continues to darken, with the city’s trade body now expecting exports to shrink this year to the worst levels in a decade.
Russian fertilizer | The European Union may renew quarter-century-old trade protection on Russian ammonium nitrate, risking a backlash from EU farmers.
Flirting with recession | German business surveys show factory slump is spreading to services.
South Korea’s cushion | Fiscal stimulus, Bank of Korea rate cut emerge as trade war defenses
Sept. 25: CPB’s monthly world trade monitor
Sept. 26: U.S. advanced goods trade balance for August
Sept. 24-30: The General Debate of the UN General Assembly
Sept. 30: Phil Hogan’s hearing to be EU trade commissioner
--With assistance from Megan Durisin.
To contact the author of this story:
Brendan Murray in London at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Zoe Schneeweiss at [email protected]
© 2019 Bloomberg L.P.
About the Author(s)
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Via Yahoo (AP) Toyota has announced a Prius recall (so far the 2010 models only). Our experiences with it so far has been noted here and here. I was not too impressed with its in-town mileage and have experienced the so-called sudden acceleration on our 2007 model. It's not so much an acceleration but whenever I go over potholes (and not always) I feel a sudden flutter or a jerk forward and notice that the ABS light goes on. It's happened while accelerating or decelerating and even while trying to park. It even happened on a test drive which the salesman waved off as my driving "style".
My feeling is that this more than just an accelerator problem but a real design problem. It is also possible that it is my driving style. I have been more used to a stick and have noted that the gas pedal on automatic cars in general seem not to be as responsive. In any case, our next car will not be a Toyota nor will it be a hybrid. I have a feeling that this problem is pervasive across all hybrids as well and not just Toyota.
Update: MR reminds me of the sudden acceleration incidents with Audi which resulted in a finding of driver error. My recollection of those incidents was that NHTSA was not as vocal in their criticism of Audi as they are currently with Toyota. Perhaps this is just a sign of the current administration's stance on regulation per se and not of Toyota specifically but it's hard to tell.


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BedInABox.com has entered a formal partnership with Women In Trucking (WIT), a nonprofit association established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry.
The partnership will bring the brand’s SleepDog Mattress—which are specifically designed to fit in most sleeper cabs, replacing the often-uncomfortable standard mattress that comes with the rig—to the association.
“The Women In Trucking mission statement ‘Bringing Gender Diversity to Transportation’ really resonated with us and matches the core values of our family of companies,” says Chris Bradley, executive vice president for the company. “We look forward to improving the sleep experiences of WIT members, helping them Sleep Better and Drive Safer. Lastly, we appreciate the trust that the WIT leadership team has placed with us. The fact that we manufacture all of our mattresses in-house will allow us to earn that trust by providing their members with the highest quality products.”
Ellen Voie, CEO and president of WIT, adds that the partnership will allow WIT’s drivers to have a more comfortable sleep environment, which is important for their health, comfort, and safety.
“I applaud SleepDog Mattress for partnering with Women In Trucking Association to offer this essential product to our members,” she says. “As we continue to look for ways to provide benefits to our members, we are excited to announce our first Women In Trucking Member Approved Provider (WIT MAP) partnership with Bed In a Box and their SleepDog Mattress.”
Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.


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Marica Milosavljevic and Haris Mujic, high school students from Srebrenica, are the authors of the project, a smart container called “Trash for Cash” (TFC).
The prototype of the smart container will be funded by Futurus Makerspace and Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Future Foundation.
The idea of developing a smart container came about when Marica and Harris participated in the largest high school competition in BiH, “Start Me High School”. Walking around the city, they noticed that there are various waste items at every turn, so they decided to raise the environmental awareness of people.
“Our idea has received positive comments from experts and we are among the top ten innovative ideas in the competition. Those who dump garbage in smart containers will receive gift points, which will be provided by sponsors who advertise on the surface of the container. This will allow companies to advertise for a smaller amount than other types of advertising,” Milosavljevic explained.
Mujic explained that the first containers will be placed in Srebrenica and then across Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Future of BiH Foundation and Futures Makerspace have enabled us to educate ourselves in IT, and a smart container is theirs and our success, Avaz news portal reports.


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NEW YORK: The global downturn has had an impact on the business of Sotheby's with the auction major reporting a loss of $8.5 million in the last quarter.
For the quarter ended December 31, 2008, Sotheby's reported operating revenues of $166.2 million, a $179.6 million or 52 per cent decrease from the fourth quarter of 2007.
According to the company, this deterioration is primarily due to a 46 per cent decline in net auction sales from $1.9 billion to $1 billion, significant auction guarantee losses and inventory writedowns, all attributable to a downturn in the international art market that began in September 2008, and which resulted from a weakening global economy, as well as turbulence in the global financial and credit markets.
For Q4, the company reported an operating loss of $0.7 million and a net loss of $8.5 million or $0.13 per share compared to operating income of $141.6 million and net income of $102.4 million or $1.55 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2007.
"The global economic crisis which erupted in the autumn of 2008 had a major impact on our business in the fourth quarter," said Bill Ruprecht, president and CEO of Sotheby's.


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When it comes to holiday nightmares, being scammed into renting an apartment or accommodation from a scammer has to top the list of nightmare scenarios.
Unfortunately the problem is growing and becoming more common so watch out this summer. “The problem is reaching epidemic proportions” said Kim Tuffin of the anti- scam expert site FidelityCheckOnline.com.
Online classifieds are a favourite place for scammers to place their fake advertisements and target their unsuspecting victims. The scammers often infiltrate the listings for legitimate holiday rental properties and make themselves the person to contact. They then try and scam money from their victim, their goal is to either get a large deposit or the full amount from their victim upfront.
Then of course they just disappear with the money. Some people lose thousands of pounds, dollars or euro’s and it is common for them to arrive at their destination only to find out they have been scammed and have no ware where to stay.
A Sacramento, California family, where the victims of a identical scam a few years ago. They had found a property in Alaska at a reasonable price. They contacted the advertised rental company who were very helpful. They even had a relative drive buy the premises to see what it was like.
Everything looked above board so they went ahead and paid $1,500 to the online scammer for the rental. When they arrived at the property the owner said the property wasn’t for rent and it had never be advertised, they have been scammed.
Rental scams can happen anywhere in the world, but properties in the most popular vacation areas, such as Florida, seem to be popular with the scammer this year. The police department in Cape Coral—near Fort Myers— has 20 active holiday vacation rental scam investigations. Some of the holiday scam victims have lost several thousand dollars.
People should be cautious as once the money is wired it is very difficult for police to locate and recover it. Always be aware of Western Union money transfers as there is no way of tracing who has collected the money. Kim Tuffin said “look out for holiday rental deals that sound too good to be true, always do your homework and try and stick to well known and established rental sites and tour operators”.


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Rewe, Penny Launch Programme To Reduce Salt And Sugar
German retailer Rewe Group has launched a programme with the aim of reducing the amount of salt and sugar in private-label products sold at its Rewe and Penny stores.
The retailer is following the recommendations of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (German Society for Nutrition) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for reducing the amount of salt and sugar consumed by customers. Experts have shown a direct link between high sugar and salt consumption and health issues such as high blood pressure and obesity.
The retailer’s first steps involve the classification and prioritisation of selected products, such as dairy, ice cream, cereals, bread and drinks.
“We plan to develop private-label products and their recipes in a way that ensures a reduction of salt and sugar without a significant change in the product’s smell and taste," said Dr Klaus Mayer, head of Rewe Group’s quality management. "This can be achieved through both a change in the production process and the use of different spices or fruit components.”
Rewe Group says that its focus is on the long-term nature of its salt- and sugar-reduction programme, since tastes can only be changed over a long period of time.
“We did not set a specific percentage that we want to reach. We want to give our customers time to adjust to the changed recipes and have already made progress with bread and rolls,” said Mayer.
Baked products play a significant role in consumers' daily salt intake. Around one third of the bakery items produced for Rewe and Penny are already fulfilling the WHO recommendation of 1.2 grams of salt per 100 grams of bread. Rewe Group’s bakery is currently undergoing a process of re-examining its recipes and reducing the salt content of the product ranges by a further two thirds.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Larissa Zimmer. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.


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Philippines among top spammers to US, Europe
By Newsbytes.ph September 10, 2012
- US still the world’s No 1 source of spam
- Key spam events were July 4 in the US and Euro 2012 football tourney
THE Philippines was one of the top sources of spam that hit the United States and Europe during a number of significant events in June, according to a report by Internet security firm Kaspersky Lab.
In the report, the Philippines ranked seventh out of 20 countries with a share of 2.8% in spam distributed to the United States. Incidentally, it is the United States that was the main source of distributed spam, ranking first with a share of 39.2%, followed by China with 9.1%, Brazil with 6.6% and India with 3.7%.
Spam is the name commonly given to unsolicited e-mail. It is effectively unwanted advertising, an e-mail equivalent of physical junk mail delivered through the post or from unsolicited telemarketing calls.
Maria Namestnikova, senior spam analyst of Kaspersky Lab, said that there is a slow downward trend in spam, which could be partially attributed to a seasonal “summer” fluctuation wherein spam bot computers were being turned off by their owners for the holiday.
In the report, the Philippines was tagged as one of the contributors of spam that resulted in an unexpected surge of spam percentage in the category of personal finance which almost tripled in size with 73.9%, then succeeded by medications, health-related groups and services with 10.6%, computer fraud (9.6%), adult content spam (3.5%), gambling (1.3%) and other categories which accumulated 1% percent of the total spam in June.
The target for spammers in the United States for June was the July 4th Independence Day celebration. As is the case with any other major holiday in the western hemisphere, it was accompanied by a wave of spam offering fake designer watches and various other accessories as gift ideas. There were also mass mailings advertising flags to help Americans express their patriotic feelings.
“We would like to draw your attention to the fact that during the summer holidays spammers tend to focus on children and students and the services they use – social networking sites and online stores.
Teenagers should be aware of the risks that lie in wait for them on the Internet. At the very least, parents need to make sure their children have enough knowledge about IT security so they don’t pass on credit card data to cybercriminals while shopping online,” Namestnikova said.
Meanwhile, the Philippines ranked 19 among the top 20 countries that are sources of spam to Europe. However, the Philippines’ share was just 0.8% of the total, a small percentage compared to China’s share of 36.6%, followed by India with 12.6% and the United States with 4.9%.
The main target for spammers in Europe was the European Football Championship 2012 (pic), the biggest sporting event in the region that lasted the whole month of June. Various spam offerings were sent out related to Euro 2012, from travel offers, Nigerian letter-styled lottery, and online streaming of the games.
On the other hand, the amount of spam in emails decreased by 1.9 percentage points compared to May and averaged 71.9%. Malicious files were also found in 3% of all emails, which is an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared with the month of May.
Trojan-Spy.HTML.Fraud.gen led the most number of malware attached to email accounting for more than 10% of all detections. It was followed by Packed.Win32.Katusha.o. In addition, mail worms still dominated malwares in terms of detection, which is not surprising considering their uncontrolled mechanism of self-distribution.
Three newcomers to the Top 10 malicious programs spreading via email in June belong to the Trojan.Win32.Androm family such as Trojan.Win32.Androm.py occupied the 4th place, Trojan.Win32.Androm.ow ranked as the 5th and Trojan.Win32.Androm.ni on the 8th place. Once these malicious programs are installed on a computer, they start downloading other malware from the Internet.
The proportion of phishing emails remained unchanged from May’s figure, accounting for 0.01% of all mail traffic. Social networking sites have again become the primary target with 25.2% share of all targets and Facebook is still their prime target. – Newsbytes.ph


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While the death of the 3.5mm headphone jack that first gave rise to Apple’s wireless AirPods may have been controversial at first, they have since taken the market by storm, continuing to sell out even a year after their initial release. That’s some pretty impressive stay-power, even for Apple, and now that the AirPods have turned two, fans are clamoring for a refresh.
Apple hasn’t mentioned a thing about what the future of the buds could hold. The best we’ve gotten out of them is a widely-noticed Easter egg in one of its promo-videos, along with the typical cycle of rumors fueled by supplier leaks, educated guesses from reputable analysts, and furious fan speculation.
Chatter online has suggested the AirPods 2 could be over-ear, noise-canceling, water-resistant, wirelessly chargeable, and serve as fitness trackers. All of these upgrades have been said to be coming to fruition very soon. So which anticipated updates are most likely and when should we expect them?
Here’s everything we know about Apple’s upcoming AirPods 2 release.
When Will the AirPods 2 Be Announced?
While there were lots of holdouts that AirPods would get a refresh at one of this year’s product launches, the smart money has always been that Apple would launch new AirPods in 2019. The only notable hold-out came on Tuesday, when an established Samsung leaker, known as Ice Universe said on Twitter that he’s still hopeful for an AirPods 2 launch this year. But that becomes more and more unlikely with every passing moment.
Apple hosted what was thought to be its final product launch of 2018 on October 30, when it unveiled its new iPad Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini models. The Cupertino-based company has never hosted a press event in November or December. And it’s unlikely we’ll get a standalone AirPods 2 launch seeing as the earbuds were originally released alongside complementary tech.
Next year seems like a more realistic timeframe. Trusted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted they could be here in early 2019, a prediction that’s been echoed by Bloomberg’s notably well-sourced Mark Gurman. But perhaps more exciting than the Both Kuo and Gurman’s predictions for the launch date is the fact that both have forecasted that the AirPods 2 will be almost unrecognizable from their predecessors.
Will AirPods 2 Come With Over-the-Ear?
Both Kuo and Gurman have stated that the AirPods 2 might be more of a headset than earbuds. It’s unclear how this would be designed, but since Apple has acquired the luxury audio company, Beats Music and Beats Electronics, there’s a chance that next generation of AirPods will draw more heavily from Beats designs.
Will the AirPods 2 Be Noise-Cancelling?
One reason why over-the-ear AirPods makes sense is that they would enable noise-canceling features (Gurman has also asserted this in the past). Currently, AirPods suffer from sound-leakage issues. An over-ear, noise-canceling system could fix all of that, but many questions still remain. How would these even look and could the be considered “Pods?”
Will the AirPods 2 Be Water-Resistant?
The AirPods 2 might also become more resistant to the elements. Gurman’s sources revealed that they wouldn’t be completely waterproof, but could handle splashes. This potential feature might have been teased during this year’s iPhone keynote, during a scene where an AirPods-wearing runner bounds through a puddle.
Will the AirPods 2 Improve Siri?
In the same video that kicked off the iPhone XS event, Apple may also have hinted that AirPods 2 would come with an always-on “Hey Siri” feature. Kuo also predicted that improved voice assistant support could soon be implemented in the earbuds. This would allow users to summon Siri without having to tap the pods.
Will the AirPods 2 Have Biometric Sensors?
A series of unearthed trademark filings suggest that the AirPods 2 could come with the ability to track users’ pulse, a lot like the Apple Watch. This feature integration would make a lot of sense, especially given the company’s aggressive foray into health-tech.
Will AirPods 2 Come With a Wireless Charging Case?
Apple has actually revealed that a wireless charging case is in the AirPods future when it teased the yet-to-be-released AirPower charging mat. This planned update could actually be what is holding the AirPods 2 back from its release, as the AirPower charging mat has been beset by engineering delays because of all of the planned components.
What’s Taking The AirPods 2 So Long?
The heavily delayed AirPower could be holding the AirPods 2 hostage. The charging pad was touted to be able to simultaneously charge an iPhone, Apple Watch, and the upcoming AirPods wireless charging case. The Apple Watch and iPhones support wireless charging, so the AirPods are the final point of the tech triangle the AirPower is supposed to be able to charge.
It’s possible that the fate of the AirPods 2 is in the hands of the AirPower, which has reportedly been held back because of a myriad of engineering issues. Then again, while 2018 was likely a disappointment for some, all signs point to 2019 as the year when both of these products hit shelves.


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Tesla Inc. recalled nearly 300,000 passenger vehicles in China after widespread safety issues were found associated with the car’s cruise control functions.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Tesla’s Chinese branch had to pull 249,855 Model 3 sedans and Model Y compact cross-over vehicles, as well as 35,655 imported Model 3 cars due to possible defects with the vehicle’s cruise control. The recall comes after an investigation discovered that the cruise control systems could be activated on their own accord and possibly cause accidental speed increases.
“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this recall to all car owners,” Tesla said through social media on China’s Twitter-like website, Weibo. “Tesla will continue to improve safety in strict accordance with national requirements.” The mass recall comes at a bad time for Tesla’s Chinese market, which has suffered a good amount of backlash in recent months due to its poor customer service. In April, Tesla came under scrutiny after an upset customer staged a protest at Auto Shanghai, China’s premier auto-industry exposition. The customer claimed that Tesla’s brakes were faulty and dangerous to drivers.
The incident drew enough heat to warrant a public apology from Tesla, as it assured customers that they would start to take complaints more seriously. In February, the electric-car company was summoned by the Chinese government for similar accusations with Elon Musk himself having to chime in at one point and reassure Chinese officials that Tesla’s cars could not spy on anyone. “Whether it’s Chinese or U.S., the negative effects if a commercial company did engage in spying – the negative effects for that company would be extremely bad,” Musk said.


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NBC, Telemundo Stations Units Recover $20M for Consumers
Style Magazine Newswire | 2/23/2018, 12:51 p.m.
Consumer investigative teams at NBC and Telemundo stations have recovered more than $20 million for consumers since 2014, NBCUniversal said. The units—NBC Responds and Telemundo Responde—have answered more than 250,000 consumer inquiries and helped individuals either get funds they were owed or provided them with the information they needed to resolve their issues. “Our consumer teams answer every call and email they receive and see every consumer tip to the end,” said Valari Staab, President, NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations. “Thanks to our teams’ relentless work, thousands of consumers have recovered unpaid wages or funds they were owed. As many communities continue to recover from recent natural disasters, our consumer teams are helping viewers navigate through the rebuilding processes by providing them with direct help or delivering vital information through their reporting. I’m proud of our stations work and the invaluable service and information they deliver to our communities.”


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This amused me:
The Scottish Parliament has become the latest building to introduce free sanitary products for all staff and visitors.
The move follows concern over the accessibility and affordability of tampons and towels.
The decision from the all-party Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body means free sanitary products will be available in all 42 women’s toilets.
It was hailed as a “win for gender equality” by MSP Kezia Dugdale.
The cost of providing the free sanitary products is expected to be between £2,000 and £3,000 a year.
Ms Dugdale, who is a member of the corporate body, said women often found it difficult to access sanitary products during the working day.
Basically, the taxpayer is subsidising the grocery shopping of those who work in the Scottish Parliament, most of whom will be rather handsomely paid in comparison with said taxpayer. For instance, the annual salary of an MSP such as Kezia Dugdale is over £62k per year (.pdf); the median wage in Scotland is just over £23k.
This isn’t the first time a government policy has been aimed at subsidising the lifestyles of the wealthy middle classes (which coincidentally includes those making the policy) at the expense of the poor. In fact, it pretty much defines most policies these days.
Despite half of the population experiencing menstruation at some point, very few workplaces have taken steps to become period-friendly and that’s why I’m pleased the Scottish Parliament is leading by example.
Many of those women experiencing menstruation will be poor, single mothers who don’t work at or visit the Scottish parliament, and who no doubt struggle to purchase groceries thanks to their taxes being frittered away by grifters in Holyrood.
Her Labour colleague, Monica Lennon, is bringing forward a member’s bill to create a statutory duty for free provision of sanitary products.
Ms Lennon also welcomed the move and called on other parliaments, buildings and employers to take similar action.
It’s not just the economics that are stupid here. I can guarantee that within a very short period (ahem), these free sanitary products will be snaffled in bulk, leaving none available or costing a fortune to replace. You cannot leave boxes of sanitary pads and tampons lying around in a staff toilet any more than you can install a machine on the street which dispenses cans of Coke for free. Perhaps this would work in Japan, maybe in a select few other countries, but the UK isn’t among them. And what’s amusing is you can be damned sure the sort of women who will fill their handbags with these items for use at home, thus wrecking the system, will be the right-on lefties who dreamed it up in the first place. Modern lefties always strike me as the sort who’d steal the sugar sachets from Little Chef while lecturing the rest of us on how selfish we are.


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Equifax said some consumer credit scores were altered due to a computer error that was rectified.
Server “encryption issues” led to incorrect scores, the consumer credit reporting company said Tuesday in a statement. statement posted on the web. The Atlanta-based company did not say how many consumers were affected.
“There was no change in the majority of scores over the three-week timeframe of the issue,” the company said. “For consumers who have experienced a score change, initial analysis indicates that only a small number of them may have received a different credit decision.”
The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Equifax had provided incorrect credit scores to millions of US consumers seeking loans, citing bank executives and people familiar with the matter that it did not determined.
The paper reported the flaws were submitted between mid-March and early April, and the disclosure of the flaws began in May, the paper reported. Scores covering consumers who apply for auto loans, mortgages and credit cards to banks and non-bank lenders include JPMorgan Chase & Co, Wells Fargo & Co. and Ally Financial Inc., according to the report.
Shares of the company fell 2.1% to $206.31 in regular New York trading.
The problem after a Cyber attack at Equifax, which keeps credit reports on US consumers and sells them to lenders, it disclosed in September 2017. Hackers accessed data including Security numbers society, driver’s license number and address, it said at the time.
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If Netflix were a movie, you’d find it under the Horror section—for the moment, at least.
After the company told shareholders Monday afternoon that it lost more than 800,000 subscribers in the third quarter and expected lower fourth-quarter revenue and profits, shares in Netflix plummeted 27 percent in after hours to about $87.42—quite a drop, especially considering that the stock reached a peak of just under $300 in July.
The dismal quarterly report is just the latest in a growing list of disappointments from a company that was once a media and market darling. First, there was the July announcement that Netflix would jack up prices for subscribers who wanted DVDs and streaming. Then, after customers responded en masse with cancelations, the company announced a separate service called Qwikster that would rent DVDs, but with the same controversial price hike. After even more complaints, the company axed the Qwikster idea.
On a call with investors Monday, CEO Reed Hastings said that splitting video streaming and DVD rentals made sense "in theory" because they represented different brand propositions and audiences, but he admitted that "in hindsight, it is hard to justify."
"Qwikster became a symbol of Netflix not listening," he said.
In the letter to shareholders and on the call, Hastings acknowledged that the company needs to rebuild goodwill among customers and investors.
“The focus for us is in building back our reputation and brand strength,” he said.
Netflix said revenue increased 49 percent year over year to $822 million, which beat analysts’ expectations of $811 million. It also reported earnings per share of $1.16, above analysts’ prediction of $.96. Despite the better-than-expected earnings, Wall Street focused on the company's bleaker long-term picture.
Facing high costs of entry in the U.K. and Ireland, Netflix said it expected to be unprofitable for the first few quarters of 2012.
“We expect the costs of our entry into the U.K. and Ireland will push us to unprofitable on a global basis; that is domestic profits will not be large enough to both cover international investments and pay for global G&A [general & administrative] and Technology & Development,” the company said in its shareholders letter.
Also, although Hastings said the company has seen no effect from rivals in video streaming, like Amazon Prime and Dish, competition in the space is heating up.
While Netflix was a powerhouse when it was a business built on renting cheap DVDs, it's by no means assured of success as it transitions to a video streaming company reliant on more expensive licensing deals. Netflix’s unpopular price hike might have triggered the initial stock price decline, but industry observers say its problems run much deeper.
“Netflix's functional utility is rapidly diminishing; this is not just a matter of price,” said Adam Hanft, CEO of marketing firm Hanft Projects.” The power of device manufacturers—Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Apple—represents such a powerful gravitational force that Netflix is becoming more irrelevancy than intermediary.”


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(BPR) Outspoken as ever, Kid Rock had something to say about Anheuser-Busch partnering with TikTok influencer Dylan Mulvaney to plug Bud Light.
Well, it may be more accurate to say that he let his Second Amendment rights do the talking.
Mulvaney, a biological male who makes a mockery out of being a woman, was equally ridiculous in a series of bizarre videos shared over the weekend. Mulvaney also showcased a Bud Light can celebrating his “‘365 days of girlhood” that featured his surgically-altered mug on it.
In one of the videos, he poses in a hot tub wearing a bikini. In another, he presents the same poor inept little girl persona the media eats up, dropping cans of Bud Light he tries to carry — women have spent decades trying to overcome stereotypes like this.
I searched everywhere. I thought for sure it couldn’t be real. Convinced it was an April fools joke. Seriously @budlight? Wtf is this?!
Also girls don’t act like this. He’s an exaggerated character of a young girl and it’s disgusting. pic.twitter.com/wxs1VmDoGm
— Meghan Maureen (@Keggs719) April 2, 2023
On Monday, Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, shared his own video. The footage shows the iconic rocker sporting a “MAGA” hat and a Kid Rock hoodie, while holding an AR-15 style rifle. In the distance is a table holding four unfortunate cases of Bud Light beer.
“Grandpa is feeling a little frisky today,” Ritchie says in the clip. “Let me, uh, say something to all of you and be as clear and concise as possible.”
He proceeds to lay waste to the beer, before concluding: “F*ck Bud Light. F*ck Anheuser-Busch!”
*Caution: Adult Language:
— KidRock (@KidRock) April 4, 2023
While some will claim that Ritchie is firing an automatic weapon, which is illegal to own in most cases, in all likelihood his rifle is equipped with what is known as an Echo Trigger, a legal trigger that fires on the pull and release.
Anheuser-Busch is standing by the association despite feeling the heat for its efforts to normalize a transgender movement that is doing so much damage to America’s youth — there’s a growing call to boycott the company’s products.
“Anheuser-Busch works with hundreds of influencers across our brands as one of many ways to authentically connect with audiences across various demographics and passion points,” a company spokesperson told Fox News. “From time to time, we produce unique commemorative cans for fans and for brand influencers, like Dylan Mulvaney. This commemorative can was a gift to celebrate a personal milestone and is not for sale to the general public.”
As for the reaction, Kid Rock’s fans loved the stunt, expecting no less from the pro-Trump rocker who backs down to no one… here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:


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The company’s newest battery-operated product is making the tie drilling process safer and more efficient than ever.
Hackettstown, NJ, June 17, 2020 — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE— Focused Technology Solutions —a Marmon/Berkshire Hathaway Company— has released their latest disruptive technology to the rail market; the DrillEase battery-operated tie drill.
The DrillEase operates using a standard off-the-shelf 1” high torque impact driver which fits FTS’ battery powered, eco-friendly platform. This revolutionary tool has been designed to “improve production by 50%,” company officials say.
“The DrillEase is just another example of how FTS is leading and not following,” Corey Dash, Focused Technology Solutions’ Senior Production Manager & Leading Product Developer, said. “It’s another great product by FTS that will change the way the industry does business.”
On top of the tool’s efficiency, the elimination of hydraulics tools, hoses and generators allow for a rail worker to use it straight out of the box. The tool is portable, weighs under 30 lbs and drills holes in just 3-5 seconds.
For more information on this all-new, revolutionary product, click here.


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"Not a game-changer, because the West Coast is not a big basketball shoe market," Matt Powell said on Monday, July 2, when discussing the NBA superstar and four-time MVP's move to the Los Angeles Lakers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, announced Monday. Powell is vice president and senior industry adviser for NPD Group Inc.
James signed a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers, ending months of speculation as to where the league's most valuable player would land in his latest high-profile signing decision.
Many more LeBron jerseys than sneakers will sell on the West Coast, Powell said. The region that generates the most basketball shoe sales, though, is the I-95 corridor between Washington and Boston, he added.
Nike began discounting LeBron James Cavalier jerseys two weeks ago, Powell said, so that is telling about how that clothing will sell in the future. Powell noted that when now-retired superstar shooting guard Kobe Bryant switched his sponsorship from Adidas AG to Nike, midway through his career, Nike sold a good amount of Kobe jerseys.
Still, another expert sees a bigger upside for both Nike and James.
"If I were Nike, I'd be thrilled about the international growth prospects," said Dorothy Crenshaw, a brand specialist and principal of New York's Crenshaw Communications.
"James now has a larger hometown media market, a new team rivalry and a bigger mission, and he'll be playing with a more international team," she added. "There may be disgruntled Cleveland fans, but L.A. offers a larger platform for his branded merchandise and possible Hollywood deals. And the saturation media coverage can't hurt."
Nike may be gaining L.A. exposure and enhancing its newly transplanted player's reputation in a world-class city. In another sport, on another continent, though, it's seeing changes. Roger Federer, considered by many the greatest tennis player of all time, on Monday announced a partnership with Japanese global apparel retailer Uniqlo following the end of his sponsorship with Nike.
Nike did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its shares on Monday afternoon were down 3.1% to $77.20.


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Without question – YES. All of the discussions regarding the need to ‘pay to play’ and the lack or organic reach many articles keep popping up that Facebook is dead and you’d better be looking elsewhere (notably Google +).
While I am in full agreement that Google + is a MUST now more than ever, Facebook is far from dead from a marketing perspective:
“From Q2 2012 to Q3 2013……the percentage of active users among the 35 – 44 year old age group rose from 47% to 53%, among 45 – 54 year olds from 43% to 49%, and among 55 – 64 year olds from 39% – 45%.” (http://www.forbes.com/sites/haydnshaughnessy/2013/12/30/dead-and-buried-heres-whats-really-happening-with-facebook-demographics/)
While the article focuses more on the declining teen use, the above statistics are a sobering fact that those with purchasing power and decision making authority – a small business’ prime target market. Google + is great for SEO but for many, our customers are still playing and interacting (read: asking for and receiving referrals) in Facebook. They are also ‘checking in’. That being the case, your business still needs a strong presence. Rather than giving up on Facebook, you need to focus on HOW to use the platform to get reach / engagement now that the rules have changed. (Stay tuned for more on the ‘HOW’.)
What are you doing to change your Facebook strategy?
by Robert Nissenbaum